I am happy to say my wife and I have received our second coronavirus vaccinations. This makes us eligible to take part in America’s new talk topic: Are You Immune?
Every conversation between adults now consists of a quick quiz: “Which one did you get?” Pfizer. “Did you have to wait in a long line?” We breezed through both times without having to wait at all. “Did you feel sick afterwards?” Nope, no fever, no nausea, no exhaustion, nothing other than minor soreness where the needle went in. We know of several people for whom the procedure wasn’t as easy, resulting in flu-like symptoms for a couple of days, but we had no such problems.
We’re now counting down to the end of the month, when our two-week waiting period expires and we can finally emerge from the woods and head out into the clearing. I’m not sure exactly what that will consist of that’s different from what we’ve done for the last 14 months — we’ll still wear masks when indoors with other humans — but we have a tremendous feeling of relief. We’re already making plans to have dinner with similarly-vaccinated friends for the first time in who knows how long, and we’ve made plans for a trip later this year that will involve getting on board an airplane rather than driving.
I have a friend who was so ready to burst out of his home bubble that he’s already played in a poker tournament, eaten indoors at restaurants, and attended a baseball game. We’re not quite there yet. It’s possible we’ll need a booster shot this fall and then every year after that, but we have no needle phobia and will gladly follow whatever protocol our doctor suggests — just as we do for the flu, shingles, tetanus, etc.
If so, I have a feeling there will be a ready supply of the COVID-19 vaccine because of all the doses not going into the arms of the too-many Americans who identify as “vaccine resistant.” I believe that population also includes a certain percentage who have gotten (or will soon get) the shots but continue to tell pollsters otherwise, because “owning the libs” remains an important part of their makeup, even in a pandemic.
Not surprisingly, most of them reside in counties that voted heavily for Trump — even though he’s received the double dose, as have Melania, Ivanka, and the rest of his crime family. So have many of the right-wing zealots in the media and politics who still rail against science publicly because it fits their brand. Can you imagine the impact those public figures would have if they got the shots on camera and then urged their viewers/listeners/followers to be vaccinated, too?
I’d also like to see the non-conspiracy-spewing media spend more time on those of us in the majority, the “vaccine acceptant,” the ones who will help our economy come back in a Roaring Twenties for this century (without ending, hopefully, in another depression).
Nonetheless, I think all those “resistant” numbers are going to decline in the coming weeks thanks to pressure from family members or employers or friends who have escaped the cult and reported no negative effects. I’m not saying all of them will line up for shots, but enough to get us a wee bit closer to herd immunity.
But if they don’t, well, I was never gonna have dinner with them anyway.